After Pongal, fall in demand drags down vegetable prices

While onions are sold at Rs 10-15 a kilo from Rs 20 earlier, the price of carrots crashed to Rs 20 from Rs 40. Same was the case with tomatoes, sold at Rs 50 to Rs 60 earlier in January, which now hovers around Rs 20.

“The market is receiving the same volume of vegetables even though there are very few customers. This dip in demand is the main reason for the price drop. Even after people returned from their native towns after celebrating Pongal, business hasn’t picked up yet,” said VR Soundararajan from the Koyambedu Wholesale Merchants Association.

The prices of all vegetables have come down by Rs 5-10, added S Chandran, the president of Koyambedu Market Licensed Merchants’ Association. “Usually, the market receives up to 1,500 truckloads of carrots, which has now increased to 2,000. So, its price has fallen by half,” he added.

The same trend is expected to continue, though the traders are hoping that the sales would increase – and thus the price as well – by the beginning of February.

There is also a slump in the price of flowers, as most of them are sold at Rs 20 a kilo as opposed to the rate of Rs 60-80 a kilo that was prevailing only a fortnight ago. “The sales may pick up before Valentine’s day,” said S Rajesh, a flower trader.